According the FTC, the Equifax breach involved multiple attacks from mid-May through July of 2017. Consumer information compromised in the breach can include consumers’ names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, and driver’s license numbers. All told, as many as 143 million consumers might be affected.

The thieves stole many kinds of sensitive records, including chargeback and dispute-related documents featuring personal data for some 182,000 individuals in the US, Canada, and the UK. If you filed a transaction dispute during that period, it’s entirely possible that you could be at risk.

Equifax has made some resources available in the weeks since the hack was revealed to help consumers protect themselves, including free credit monitoring for the next year. The company setup a special site, https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/, which allows you to research your threat level and determine if any of your data is at risk.

You may also want to check your credit report from Equifax, as well as Experian and TransUnion, and consider placing a freeze on your credit. This will prevent fraudsters from using your identity to commit synthetic fraud or any other criminal attack.

Beyond that, remember to always monitor your bank statement regularly. If you spot any suspicious activity, contact your bank to put a hold on your account, then contact eConsumer Services®. It’s our job to get to the bottom of the matter and secure the best result for consumers, banks, and merchants alike.

This has been a service provided by eConsumer Services®.com. This order was placed through an endorsed merchant of eConsumer Services®; a customer satisfaction group whose purpose is to help regulate and improve the transaction standards of e-commerce activities. Endorsed merchants are required to maintain high marks for customer service, including and not limited to product information support services, 24 hour customer service options and excellent product value.